It’s our 175th birthday this year and we’re celebrating with a Festival of Ideas. The event is free and open to all with something for everyone, from young to old. Our Festival brings together activities, exhibitions and demonstrations to immerse you in the science of feeding the world.

Get up close with crop critters in our Insect Zone; take the popcorn challenge in our Experiment Zone; see farming take flight with the drones in our Tech Zone. Speed date an expert; ride a tractor; puzzle over our trove of astonishing exhibits; and test the interactive displays. Vote for the most fascinating poster; find out what the future of farming could look like; gain a taste of the technological transformations underway.

Join a debate or listen to a talk; tackle a treasure hunt or pit yourself against one of our quizzes. Immerse yourself in a sensational demo, including the one we trialled at the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in December (parasitic wasp meets gorging aphid).

Explore our proud history of ground-breaking discoveries, from crop treatment to crop protection, from statistical interpretation to soils management. Hook up with one of the wonder trails through our heritage, or take a seat and enjoy a cream tea at Rothamsted Manor.

DOWNLOAD THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Click the map below to download the full programme.

OUR PARTNERS

The entirety of ‘Rothamsted’ and our activities are an enduring partnership between Rothamsted Research and the following partners, who share a common interest in advancing agricultural science for the good of all.

OUR SPONSORS

We'd like to extend a huge thank you to the following organisations for sponsoring the Festival of Ideas.